Wire rope lubricant



Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES WIRE ROPE LUBRICANT Martin B. Chittick, Wilmette, and Arthur F. Schlandt, Chicago, 111., assignors to The Pure Oil Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Application February 3, 1937, Serial No. 123,848

9 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricants and. more particularly to lubricants for use in connection with wire rope.

In the manufacture of wipe rope it is customary to surround the individual strands of wire with a lubricant prior to or at the time the strands are twisted together. The lubricant not only serves as a lubricating film between the strands of wire and between the wire and any rubbing surface with which it comes in contact, but it also serves as a protective coating to prevent deterioration of the wire.

Unless the individual strands of the wire are thoroughly coated, they rub against each other during handling and use of the wire, creating a large amount of friction which causes both excessive wear of the wire and difilculty in bending. Likewise, high frictional stresses are set up between the rope and various surfaces which the 20 rope contacts during use, if the lubricating film surrounding the strands is broken down.

One of the objects of our invention is to prepare an improved wire rope lubricant.

Another object of our invention is to provide 25 a lubricant of great toughness and tenacity which will adhere to wire rope and form a film which will not break when subjected to rubbing, friction, and/or high pressure.

A further object of our invention is to impart stringiness to a lubricating composition in order that a large amount of the composition can be made to adhere to wire rope even if subjected to increased temperatures.

Other objects of our invention will be ap- 35 parent from the following description.

We have discovered that a wire rope lubricant having superior properties can be produced by adding to known lubricant compositions, a minor proportion of hydrocarbon polymers resulting 40 tillates. Polymers which are particularly suitable for our invention are those prepared by subjecting gasoline distillate resulting from vapor phase cracking of hydrocarbon oil, at temperatures approximating 1000-1100 F., to treatment with fullers earth or simliar adsorptive polymerizing catalyst at temperatures approximating 400-700 F., but below cracking temperature, under superatmospheric pressure of 500 to 3000 50 pounds per square inch. Under these conditions the gum forming and color imparting constituents present in the gasoline distillate, and which render'it unstable, are polymerized to high boiling compounds which oxidize when exposed in films to the air to form tough coatings. Polyfrom the refining of light cracked petroleum dismers prepared in this manner are preferably first reduced by vacuum and/or steam below cracking temperatures, to a viscosity of approximately 200 to 350 seconds Saybolt Universal at 210 F. Such polymers after being reduced will have the fol- 5 lowing properties:

A. P. I. gravity -12 Flash, F 230 Fire, F 280 Vis. at 210 F SecOndS 275-325 Iodine number 150-225 Although we have disclosed the use of polymers produced by high pressure clay treatment,

polymers produced by low pressure treatment of unrefined gasoline distillate in the vapor phase with fullers earth or similar material, are also useful. However, polymers produced in the latter way have exceptionally high iodine values, ranging up to approximately 300, and dry very rapidly when exposed to air. Care must be taken when using this type of polymer in order that the amount incorporated in the lubricant is not so great as to cause the entire lubricant to dry to a solid mass.

As an example of a lubricant in accordance with our invention, 10% of asbestos fibers are mixed with 10% of asphalt having a melting point of approximately 190 F. and a penetration of 20-25 at 77 F., 75% of crude petroleum still bottoms from Van Zandt crude having a viscosity at 210 F. of 600-650 seconds Saybolt Universal and a pour point of 50-60 F., and 5% of reduced polymers having the aforementioned specifications. The lubricant so prepared has great tenacity and possesses the quality of stringiness to a high degree; and when applied vto wire rope adheres thereto very strongly. Even. at those portions where the rope is subjected to extreme bending, the lubricant film maintains 40 its continuity. Moreover, the viscosity of the composition does not decrease materially when subjected to higher temperatures, with the result that it will not drip from the wire.

Although we have disclosed specific ingredients and proportions in our novel lubricant, it is to be understood that neither the ingredients nor the proportions thereof are limited to those given. For example, the amount of asbestos in the composition may vary from 5 to 15% and in place of asbestos other absorbent fibrous materials such as jute, manila, hemp, and cotton linters may be used. The asphalt may vary from 0 to 90% depending on the type of asphalt used.

Asphalts of lower melting point and higher penemay vary from 3 to'20%.

tration may be used in larger quantities than the higher melting point, lower penetration asphalts. The crude still bottoms may vary from 0 to 90% depending upon the viscosity thereof. The crude still bottoms may replace all or part of the asphalt provided they are of sufficiently high viscosity, and bottoms from other than Van Zandt crude may be used. Likewise, the asphalt may replace all or a part of the crude still bottoms provided the asphalt is of sufiiciently low meltingpoint.

The proportion of polymers in the composition It is important that the quantity of polymers should not be so great as to cause the lubricant to form a dry mass when spreadas a film on the wire,.but should be present in sufiicient amount to impart to the lubricant, stringiness and tenacity. It will be apparent that polymers produced by high pressure clay treatment may be used in larger amounts than the low pressure polymers because of the slower drying properties of the former.

.produced by treatment with dilute sulfuric acid and polymers resulting from simple heat and pressure treatment without a catalyst, may also be used.

Although we have disclosed the use of hydrocarbon polymers in connection with a specified type of wire rope lubricant, it is to be understood that our invention is not limited to the particular composition disclosed but that the invention covers the use of hydrocarbon polymers in other well known wire rope lubricants since the addition of polymers to various lubricants improves the properties of the composition insofar as its ability to act as a lubricant and protective coating for the strands of the wire'rope is concerned.

We claim as our invention:

1. A wire rope lubricant containing a major portion of viscous mineral oil, fibrous material, and from 3 to 20% of hydrocarbon polymers produced by contacting cracked light petroleum distillate at elevated temperatures with solid catalytic adsorbent materials, said polymers having the property of oxidizing to tough dry coatings when exposed in films to the atmosphere.

2. Lubricant in accordance with claim 1 in which the polymers have an iodine value of 150-225, a viscosity of 275-325 seconds Saybolt Universal at 210, F., and an A. P. I. gravity of 10-12.

3. Lubricant in accordance with claim 1 in which the polymer is prepared by high pressure treatment of cracked petroleum distillate with an adsorptive polymerizing catalyst.

4. A wire rope lubricant containing a major portion of crude petroleum bottoms, and a minor portion of fibrous material, asphalt and hydrocarbon polymers resulting from the treatment of cracked petroleum distillates with solid catalytic adsorbent materials, said polymers having the property of oxidizing to tough dry coatings when exposed in films to the atmosphere.

5. Lubricant in accordance with claim 4 in which the polymers are prepared by contacting cracked petroleum distillates at elevated temperatures below cracking, with an adsorptive polymerizing catalyst under high superatmospheric pressure.

6. Lubricant in accordance with claim 4 in which the polymer has the following properties:

7. A wire rope lubricant comprising of crude still bottoms having a viscosity of 600-650 seconds at 210 F. iSaybolt Universal), 10% of asphalt having a melting point of approximately 190 F. and a penetration of 20-25 at 77 F., 10%

of asbestos fiber, and 5% of hydrocarbon polymers having an A. P. I. gravity of 10-12, viscosity at 210 F. (Saybolt Universal) of 275-325 seconds, and an iodine number of -225.

8. A wire rope lubricant in accordance with claim 7 in which the proportion of crude still bottoms varies from 0-90%, the proportion of asphalt varies from 0-90%, the proportion of asbestos varies from 5-15%, and the proportion of polymers varies from 3-20%.

9. A wire rope lubricant containing a major portion of viscous mineral oil and a minor porto tough dry coatings whenexposed in films to the atmosphere.

MARTIN B. CHITTICK. ARTHUR F. SCHLANDT. 

